Car-coupling



l mmm (No Model.) n u 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

\ G. W. DICKEY.

GAR GOUPLING.

N0 561,572l Patented June 9, 1896. y

N ifi/9d' m nu Y V i i n uunuuuumumn fi f n im:

GEORGE IV. DIOKEY, OF DES MOINES, IOVA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO O. O. DONNELL, OF O'ILEY, IOVA.-

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561,572, dated June 9, 1896.

Application iiled January 23, 1895. Serial No. 535,926. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W.D1cnnv,a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and eiiicient car-coupler; and the invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation, partly in section; Fig. 2, a plan view, partly in section, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section taken on line 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a front end elevation of the coupler head with the knuckle removed; Fig. 5, a horizontal section taken on line 5 of Fig. 4 with the locking-pin removed; Fig. 6, a side elevation of a couplerknuckle and a portion of the connecting-bar, showing their relation to each other; Fig. 7, a plan view of the connecting-bar, and Fig. S a vertical sectional elevation of a modification of my improvement.

My invention relates particularly to carcouplers of the twin-jaw type, and especially those made on the lines of the Master Car- Builders coupler.

In the hauling and switching of railroadcars the coupler, draw-bars, dsc., are subject to hard usage, which often results in the breakage of the draw-bar at a point in the rear of the coupler-head. This leaves that portion of the train in the rear disconnected and liableto derail the first section by impact, especially while going down grade, as well as leaving no provision for safely hauling the train. A further disadvantage in present structures is that the broken parts are liable to fall in the track and derail the cars following. To overcome these objections and provide a simple, economical, and efficient draw-bar and coupler-head which, after breakage of the draw-bar, provides supplementary means to haul the car in the rear of the break is the principal object of my invention. i

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown my improvement as it may be used in connection with what is known as the continuous draft-rigging, in which I use a draw-bar Aprovided with the usual coupler-head a and knuckle A', made on the lines of the Master Car-Builders head and knuckle. The head portion is provided with a locking-pin B, having a chamfered or cam portion b, against which extreme end of the lever-arm A2 of the knuckle is adapted to impinge to raise it, thus permitting the knuckle to enter its locked position, as shown in Fig. 2. 'Ihe rear end of the drawbar is provided with a key O, adapted to be passed through the draft-arms of the car, such as are used with the well-known continuous draft-rigging system and which I deem it unnecessary to here describe, as it forms no material novel element of my improvement. This key is more properly a portion of the draft-rigging proper, and for the sake of simplicity I will hereinafter speak of it as such both in the specification and claims.

The construction of the coupler knuckle and head are such that the shock received by the knuckle from a contacting oar is distributed evenly to the coupler-head at three points-viz., the shoulders a CL2, above and below the knuckle-lever arm, and the end a3 of the lever-arm-which bear against the corresponding portions of the coupler-head, thus relieving the pivot-pin D of any danger of strain that might distort it and prevent the usual vibration of the coupler-knuckle.

To prevent the disconnecting of the train should the draw-bar break, I provide a supplementary connecting-bar E, which is inserted in a recess or chamber e of the drawbar, and which is provided at one end witha longitudinal slot c', through which the key of the continuous draftrigging passes. The front end of the connecting-bar is provided with a perforation e2, through which the locking-pin is passed, and as this connecting-bar is preferably made of open-hearth steel having a high degree of tensile strength it will be seen that should the draw-bar break the strain from the coupling-head will be trans- 4 mitted through the locking-pin and will come upon this supplementary connecting-bar,

which is of sufficient strength to pull the train safely along until a stop is made at the usual points for examining the draft-riggin gs. 4

To assist in the unlocking and vibrate the coupler-knuckle into its open position, I provide the supplementary connecting-bar with a projecting tongue E', which normally rests under the knuckle-lever arm, as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. G. The adjacent portion of the knucklelever arm is cam-shaped or concaved, as at at, so that as the supplementary bar is raised its projecting tongue will contact this camsurface on the lever-arm and vibrate the knuckle into its open position. To raise the supplementary connecting-bar and its proj ectin g tongue, I provide the locking-pin with a projecting lug or pin b3 near its lower end, so that as the locking-pin is raised to or near its unlocking position its projecting lug portion will contact the supplementary bar and raise it. A further raising motion of the locking-pin causes the tongue of the supplementary bar to contact the cam portion of the leverarm, as above described. This construction has a further advantage in that the Weight of this supplementary bar materially assists, with the weight of the lockingpin, to return the locking-pin to its normal locked position, in a large measure preventing the failure of the parts to operate properly, as is now often the case. This will be appreciated by those who have charge of the coupling and uncoupling of cars, from the fact that as the knuckle is vibrated into its closed position there is a quick recoil, which uncouples the knuckle before the locking-pin can resume its locked position.

In Fig. 8 I have shown a modification of my improvement, illustrating the structure employed when using a draw-bar with a yoke or follower strap that incloses the followerplates, &c. I will not describe or illustrate the follower-plates or draft-rigging, as they are well known in the art.

G is the rear portion of the draw-bar. (Shown in section with the coupler head, knuckle, rbc., removed.)

II is the yoke or follower-strap, which is secured to the draw-bar by means of the pins h 7L. This yoke or strap is properly a portion of the draft-rigging, which, for the sake of simplicity, I will treat as such.

I is the supplementary connecting bar, which is made substantially in the shape shown in Fig. '7, through which the pin 71, is passed in substantially the same manner as the key of the continuous draft-rigging is passed, so that should the draw-bar become changes in form, construction, and arrangement, the omission of parts and substitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or render expedient.

I claim-- l. In a car-coupler, the combination of aV draw-bar provided with a coupler-head, and intermediate connecting and locking mechanism interposed between the coupling-head and adapted to be connected to the draft-rigging to form supplementary safety connecting mechanism and hold the knuckles connected with each other, substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a coupler-head,a locking-pin, and a connecting-bar engaged with the locking-pin and adapted to be connected with the draft-ri ggin g to form supplementary connecting mechanism and hold the knuckles connected with each other, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a coupler-head and knuckle, a locking-pin for such knuckle, and a connecting-bar engaged with the lockingpin and adapted to be engaged with the draftrigging to form supplementary connecting mechanism, substantially as described.

4t. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a coupler-head and knuckle, a locking-pin for such knuckle, a supplementary connecting-bar engaged with the locking-pin and adapted to be engaged with the draft-rigging provided with a proj ecting portion adapted to contacta cam-surface of the coupling-knuckle to vibrate such coupling-knuckle into its open position as the connecting-bar is raised, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a coupler-head and knuckle and a portion of the draft-rigging, a locking-pin for such knuckle provided with a projecting portion to raise the forward end of a connecting-bar, and a supplementary connecting-bar arranged in an interior chamber of the draw-bar and engaged with the locking-pin and draft-rigging and provided with a forward-projecting tongue adapted to impin ge against the cam-surface on the knuckle lever-arm when it is raised and vibrate the knuckle into its open position, substantially as described.

G. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with an interior chamber, coupler-head and knuckle, a locking-pin in such coupler-head, a draft-rigging key or pin in the rear of such draw-bar, and a supplementary connecting-bar in the recess of thc draw-bar engaged with the locking-pin and draft rigging key to form supplementary connecting mechanism, substantially as described.

7. In a car-coupler, the combination of a draw-bar provided with a coupler-head and knuckle, a locking-pin for such knuckle in IOO IIO

the Coupler-head provided with a projecting supplementary connecting; mechanism between the eoup1erheztd and drztftrigging, to substantially as described.

GEORGE W. DICKEY. Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, THOMAS B. JSfIoGREGoR. 

